What is legalisation?

In the UK, legalisation is a process whereby the signature, stamp, and seal on an official document is checked by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Once checked, it is then issued with an apostille, certifying that it has been legalised. Legalisation means that documents issued in the UK can be used abroad – and vice versa.

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a certificate that verifies that a document has been legalised. In the UK, apostille certificates are issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Apostille certificates are used by 124 nation states, worldwide. Each of these countries issue their own apostille certificates and accept those of others. Apostille certificates contain a range of information about the document they are issued in relation to. This includes the country of issue, document type, the name of the signee, and an official stamp or seal, among other information.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is the governmental department responsible for the issuing of apostille certificates in the UK. It is otherwise known as the Apostille Office.

What is consular legalisation?

Consular legalisation is the process whereby a document is legalised by a consulate or embassy – in addition to legalisation by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). This is necessary for countries that are not contracting states of the Apostille Convention and, as a result, do not issue or accept apostille certificates. Find out more about Consular Legalisation.

How do I get a document notarised?

Your documents may need to be notarised before they can be legalised. Our sister company, Woodcock Notary Public, can do this for you.

Legalised documents in days, not weeks

Access services to suit your budget and time scale - ranging from our standard turnaround (15-20 working days) to our fast track service (5-7 working days).

Legalise Documents Services

We help clients legalise documents and manage the process from start-to-finish, with a service to suit a range of time scales. Find the right service for you and contact us to get started.

Standard

Have your documents apostilled within 15-20 days with our standard service.

From £95

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Fast Track

Have your documents apostilled within 5-7 days – utilising our authorised account.

From £150

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The above includes

Document legalisation
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Do you require Consular Legalisation?

For documents intending to be used in a country that is not a contracting state of the Apostille Convention, you may be required to have them processed by the consulate or embassy of the country concerned. Note: this is in addition to FCDO legalisation.

Find out more

How it works

With our assistance, it is easy for you to legalise documents with the FCDO. Our process has been designed to be as convenient as possible for our clients. Contact us to get started.

Drop-off your documents at one of our locations

We submit your documents to the FCDO for legalisation

We receive your documents and conduct checks

We send your documents directly to you

FAQs

If you are unsure about some of the terms used in relation to legalisation, read our FAQs for a better understanding. We aim to make the process as clear and simple as possible.

What is legalisation?
In the UK, legalisation is a process whereby the signature, stamp, and seal on an official document is checked by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Once checked, it is then issued with an apostille, certifying that it has been legalised.

Legalisation means that documents issued in the UK can be used abroad – and vice versa.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a certificate that verifies that a document has been legalised. In the UK, apostille certificates are issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

Apostille certificates are used by 124 nation states, worldwide. Each of these countries issue their own apostille certificates and accept those of others.

Apostille certificates contain a range of information about the document they are issued in relation to. This includes the country of issue, document type, the name of the signee, and an official stamp or seal, among other information.
What is the FCDO?
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is the governmental department responsible for the issuing of apostille certificates in the UK. It is otherwise known as the Apostille Office.
What is consular legalisation?
Consular legalisation is the process whereby a document is legalised by a consulate or embassy – in addition to legalisation by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

This is necessary for countries that are not contracting states of the Apostille Convention and, as a result, do not issue or accept apostille certificates.

Find out more about Consular Legalisation.
How do I get a document notarised?
Your documents may need to be notarised before they can be legalised. Our sister company, Woodcock Notary Public, can do this for you.